Your gun is your gun and these old milsurps are cheap to tinker with.
But do you how much the gun is worth? If you could care less about what your gun is worth prior to taking the chopsaw and grinder to it, stop reading now.
I am not trying to convince anybody of anything, just to provoke some educational thought.
Let's take a Mosin 91/30. You get one for $100 out of a crate at a show or shop. You take it home and before you actually find out what you have or shoot it, you grab the hacksaw start your improvements. You get the bent-bolt kit and drill it and tap it for scope and put it in a black plastic after market stock on it and man, it's the Deer Slayer now.
You find out sometime after the fact that it was a WW2 sniper rifle that had been refurbished after WW2. You also find out that had you left it alone, it would be worth significantly more than your asking price for the "deer slayer".
A lot of guys don't know much about these and I understand. But google is your friend. It does not take long to establish a good ballpark on value.
I don't "do" commercial guns. I only traded $200 1873 colt for a Wilson Combat 1911. I got the gun from uncles drunk grampa for $200. So, it's $200 gun to me.
I've always wanted a 1911 with a ported slide. So if I took my Wilson Combat 1911 and ported the slide with my black and decker portable drill, some ODT'rs out there would crap in their pants. Because they were so jealous of my improvements? No...cause I just "ruined" the value of a high end pistol.
For the most part, Guns of any kind, like antique furniture or classic cars, are worth more in their original configuration and condition than after "improvements".
I have a soft spot for the old military stuff due to the history it represents. Many don't care.
"It's my gun I'll do what I want to with it." If this is you, I can't argue with that--you are right and you can do want you want--it's yours.
This is more directed towards the guys and gals that don't really know what they've got. After you cut one up and sink money into it doing all of your improvements just don't be too disappointed if you don't get your asking price for your gun.
Using my Wilson Combat analogy above--I'm going to find out what I have and what it's actually worth before "improving" it with porting. It may actually be worth more than the $200 I've "got" in it.
But do you how much the gun is worth? If you could care less about what your gun is worth prior to taking the chopsaw and grinder to it, stop reading now.
I am not trying to convince anybody of anything, just to provoke some educational thought.
Let's take a Mosin 91/30. You get one for $100 out of a crate at a show or shop. You take it home and before you actually find out what you have or shoot it, you grab the hacksaw start your improvements. You get the bent-bolt kit and drill it and tap it for scope and put it in a black plastic after market stock on it and man, it's the Deer Slayer now.
You find out sometime after the fact that it was a WW2 sniper rifle that had been refurbished after WW2. You also find out that had you left it alone, it would be worth significantly more than your asking price for the "deer slayer".
A lot of guys don't know much about these and I understand. But google is your friend. It does not take long to establish a good ballpark on value.
I don't "do" commercial guns. I only traded $200 1873 colt for a Wilson Combat 1911. I got the gun from uncles drunk grampa for $200. So, it's $200 gun to me.
I've always wanted a 1911 with a ported slide. So if I took my Wilson Combat 1911 and ported the slide with my black and decker portable drill, some ODT'rs out there would crap in their pants. Because they were so jealous of my improvements? No...cause I just "ruined" the value of a high end pistol.
For the most part, Guns of any kind, like antique furniture or classic cars, are worth more in their original configuration and condition than after "improvements".
I have a soft spot for the old military stuff due to the history it represents. Many don't care.
"It's my gun I'll do what I want to with it." If this is you, I can't argue with that--you are right and you can do want you want--it's yours.
This is more directed towards the guys and gals that don't really know what they've got. After you cut one up and sink money into it doing all of your improvements just don't be too disappointed if you don't get your asking price for your gun.
Using my Wilson Combat analogy above--I'm going to find out what I have and what it's actually worth before "improving" it with porting. It may actually be worth more than the $200 I've "got" in it.
